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Two-year survey of the incidence of lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis in a high-risk population in Sweden

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Abstract

A survey was made over a two-year period (September 1987 to August 1989) of a population living in an area endemic for Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis in Sweden. For each patient a blood sample was collected and a questionnaire completed annually. All sera were tested for an antibody response toBorrelia burgdorferi in an EIA using sonicated antigen and for an antibody response to the tick-borne encephalitis virus using an EIA and a haemagglutination inhibition test. Antibodies toBorrelia burgdorferi and tick-borne encephalitis virus were detected in 89 (25.7 %) and 40 (11.6 %) respectively of 346 samples collected in August 1987. In the first year of the study 14 of 303 subjects (4.6 %) developed Lyme borreliosis and in the second year 9 of 277 subjects (3.2 %). A significant increase in the antibody titre forBorrelia burgdorferi was seen in 14 of 303 (4.6 %) subjects in the first year and 8 of 277 (2.9 %) subjects in the second year. An earlier episode of Lyme borreliosis or an elevated antibody titre did not seem to protect against reinfection. One case of tick-borne encephalitis was seen each year. Seroconversion for tick-borne encephalitis virus was found in 3 of 258 (1.2 %) subjects in the first year and 5 of 211 (2.4 %) in the second year, excluding subjects who had undergone successful immunisation or had earlier been hospitalised for tick-borne encephalitis. The study thus demonstrated a high yearly incidence of tick-borne infections in a population at risk.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institute at Huddinge University Hospital, S-141 86, Huddinge, Sweden

    R. Gustafson & B. Svenungsson

  2. Department of Clinical Immunology, Karolinska Institute at Huddinge University Hospital, S-141 86, Huddinge, Sweden

    A. Gardulf

  3. Department of Virology, Central Microbiological Laboratory of Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden

    M. Forsgren

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Nursing Research Unit, Stockholm, Sweden

    A. Gardulf

  5. Department of Bacteriology, Karolinska Institute at Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

    M. Granström

Authors
  1. R. Gustafson
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  2. B. Svenungsson
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  3. M. Forsgren
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  4. A. Gardulf
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  5. M. Granström
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Gustafson, R., Svenungsson, B., Forsgren, M. et al. Two-year survey of the incidence of lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis in a high-risk population in Sweden. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 11, 894–900 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01962369

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